Libano sud: l’evoluzione della frontiera e lo strano caso delle fattorie di Shebaa

摘要

This study constitutes a first step of an investigation undertaken to provide a historical account ofudthe Lebanese Southern border area. The aim of the research is twofold: firstly it seeks to point outudthe major factors determining the long-term economic and demographic changes that affected theudregion throughout the last century; secondly it examines the unsolved Shebaa Farms border dispute,udwhich flared up between Israel and Lebanon in May 2000. In spite of the prevailing opinion that theuddisagreement is but a specious pretext used by the Shii militia lead by Hezbollah to legitimate itsudarmed struggle, the analysis brings to the fore the historical, political and strategic implications ofudthe issue, providing evidence that the contested area is juridically and administratively part of theudLebanese territory.